Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule and Your Life (Paperback)

by Julie Morgenstern (Author) "So what makes time management so difficult?..." (more)
Key Phrases: better time manager, activity zone, chronic lateness, Time Map, Due Date, Palm Pilot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In Organizing from the Inside Out, author Julie Morgenstern used three main strategies to whip a living space or office into shape: "analyze, strategize, attack." Using the same system, Morgenstern now shows readers how to get rid of chaotic schedules in order to live more comfortable and productive lives. Morgenstern likens a cluttered schedule to a cluttered closet. For example, a closet is typically "crammed with more stuff than storage," and a schedule is typically "crammed with more tasks than time."

Those who fear "time management" because they worry about living uncreative or overly scheduled lives will find themselves reassured by Morgenstern's ability to customize her system. The most important thing readers must do, she emphasizes, is to create a time management system that fits one's personal style--whether it be spontaneous and easily distracted or highly regimented and efficient. "Just as everyone's living room looks different, reflecting the individual's or family's values and priorities, everyone's time management system will look different, reflecting what's important to him or her," she explains. Fortunately, readers can easily customize her excellent advice while learning how to create a personal time map, streamline routine tasks, conquer procrastination and chronic lateness, and manage all the inevitable crises and distractions of daily life. Speaking of procrastination, what better time than now to try this book out--ridding yourself of all that draining clutter so you can get on with living the life you want? --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly
Best-selling author of Organizing from the Inside Out, Morgenstern takes a similarly practical approach to time. If one thinks of time has having "edges" (rather than being amorphous), she explains, then it becomes as finite as spaceDand, consequently, just as manageable. Morgenstern believes that there are three primary reasons why people have difficulty managing time: "technical errors" (miscalculating the length of a task); "external realities" (new baby, new job) and "psychological obstacles" (perfectionism). What makes her program work, she attests, is that instead of trying to change people's natural behaviors and preferences, she encourages them to expand upon whatever is working already, no matter how overwhelmed they may feel. It all starts with knowing what one's big picture values and goals are (e.g., maintaining a happy marriage, excelling at one's career) and prioritizing those with the help of an ingenious device she's created called a "Time Map." Then, Morgenstern helps the reader apply her "SPACE" system ("sort, purge, assign a 'home,' containerize and equalize")Dthe nitty-gritty of time managementDto align one's to-do list with the Time Map. Everything one does (from important phone calls to major projects) must have its time and placeDeven relaxation and fun ("There is no such thing as spare time"). Morgenstern's simple book presents a superb, sound program for "creating a life that nurtures you and makes you feel good." (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Company; 1st edition (September 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805064699
• ISBN-13: 978-0805064698
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #341,827 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Victory for Ms. Morgenstern, October 13, 2000

By	"sek43" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Ms. Morgenstern's first book, Organizing from the Inside Out, was tremendously helpful because of its ease with which I could apply the principles to my life. Her kindergarten model of organizing space -- to create activity zones -- totally resonated with me the first time I read OFIO, and her use of it again in relation to time management is so great!

She advocates a goal-oriented approach to scheduling time and actually helps her readers think through their goals. In the second part of the book, which I found particularly helpful, she brings the kindergarten model back and applies it to mapping out time. Morgenstern also provides specific instructions about how to zone your own calendar so that you can make really effective and informed decisions about your time.

The most appealing part of Morgenstern's approach -- and the part that separates her from other self-help authors -- is that she never IMPOSES anything on her readers; rather, she teaches us _how_ to discover what's going to work in our own lives. She gave me freedom to figure out what was going to work for me, rather than making me learn a new, complicated system to impose on myself.

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make Sense of Your Schedule, Achieve Your Goals, September 3, 2000

By	"guitargirl2" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

I found Julie Morgenstern's first book, Organizing from the Inside Out, so helpful, that I was happy to buy this one (and this from someone who rarely buys books when I can just check them out of the library--I never actually bought the first book!). It uses the exact same principals as the first book, only geared towards time management. The principals are organized and logical, and really help you make sense of your schedule. And it will help you create a schedule that will help you achieve your goals and achieve balance in your life.

She covers time management briefly in the first book. (In fact, she highly recommended using a planner and so I bought one and have found it extremely helpful). Here she gets into more detail, and I found the extra detail on how to create a time map especially helpful. I am working on my own time map now. It's too early to say that I have mastered time management (it does take time, after all). But I am starting to feel a sense of control over my time and space and that is more valuable than I had previously realized.

She recommends reading the first book first, because working with the space in your home is more tangible than working with time. I agree.

53 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book WILL Help You Manage Your Time Better !, September 3, 2000

By	Irvin Goodman - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I was anxious to read Julie Morgenstern's brand new book on time management since I found her "Organizing" book very interesting and useful. This book provides lots of insight into better time management, something we can all use. We've all tried various methods and systems to help us succeed in time management. Some helped, some didn't. It's something I've always had difficulty in dealing with, and although I read various books on the subject, they didn't seem to help very much. Julie's new book really seems to help me balance my time so I can get more things done. She brings to light some of the things that hinder good time management and shows you how to improve on them by using the skills that you already have. Her goal is to help you manage your time better to allow you to do the things you must do, providing you with more time to do what you really want to do. She shows you how to determine how much time tasks really take, avoiding being late, keeping you to your required schedule, and how to cope with things that go wrong. This book offers her expert advice to guide you in establishing a plan or system that works best for you as an individual. It's NOT all work and no pleasure, either. Everyone can benefit by what this book has to offer. It will help you accomplish more in your work life as well as your home life. This will surely become a best seller, as it's a subject EVERYONE must deal with. Well worth reading !!